College realignment never dies, it simply waits until you least expect it.
In a move that could shift the college sports landscape pretty significantly, Pac-12 insider Jon Wilner is reporting Thursday that USC and UCLA are planning to leave the conference and join the Big Ten Conference.
Source: USC and UCLA are planning to leave for the Big Ten as early as 2024. Move *has not been finalized* at the highest levels of power.
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) June 30, 2022
Wilner makes it clear in his tweet that the schools have not finalized the details yet, but if he’s willing to put this out there, there’s gotta be a strong reality to it happening.
Bruce Feldman and Dan Wolken also chimed in to back up the report.
Source tells me that there is a lot of truth to @wilnerhotline report about USC and UCLA in discussions to leave for the Big Ten. My understanding is USC and UCLA reached out to the Big Ten.. certain legal parameters and bylaws need to be followed for obviously legal reasons. https://t.co/2NSDv8YtWA
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) June 30, 2022
I’ve confirmed that this is accurate. USC and UCLA are pursuing Big 10 membership, per sources. I wouldn’t rule out future expansion of Big 10 either. https://t.co/lwjhNWp4Ts
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) June 30, 2022
College athletics has been changing in spurts over the last few decades and while the idea of two schools in Los Angeles playing in the Midwestern-based Big Ten might have sounded impossible just a decade ago, we already have Rutgers and Maryland in the Big Ten while Texas and Oklahoma are en route to the SEC and college football’s powers centralize their grasp on control and money even further.
This is a bombshell report that will have a massive impact on the path forward for the Pac-12 (now 10 again?), the Big Ten (which could expand even further), the ACC (which needs to keep up with the Big Ten and SEC), and the rest of the sport.
Plenty more to come on this for sure, but the immediate reactions around the college sports world were chaotic as expected.
Turned on the Alliance faster than Lando https://t.co/zKV99d2wjR
— NunesMagician.com (@NunesMagician) June 30, 2022
My god, if this actually happens it means my chances of getting a bar in LA to put the TV on Big Ten Network will go from 0% to 0.1% https://t.co/w8IK9KWtv7
— Mark Titus (@clubtrillion) June 30, 2022
The ACC: https://t.co/RE6Rgg941F pic.twitter.com/8pdPkSA5AG
— Simon Gibbs (@SimonGibbs26) June 30, 2022
This of course impacts Bill Walton in ways I cannot even imagine. Big Ten, conference of champions? https://t.co/h5L4flNIYX
— Kevin Kugler (@kevinkugler) June 30, 2022
All of this sucks https://t.co/Yjul40jRjl
— Russillo (@ryenarussillo) June 30, 2022
Great move for Big 10. ACC so deficient in forward-thinking leadership. Also, how’s that ambiguous pact the ACC, Big Ten and PAC 12 announced last year going? https://t.co/v6Rb2a5r0C
— Mike Ryan (Ruiz) 🙌🏽 (@MichaelRyanRuiz) June 30, 2022
From Piscataway to LA. YES!!! https://t.co/i9VaswovGf
— 🇸🇲 Sickos Committee 🇸🇲 (@SickosCommittee) June 30, 2022
if you'd like a laugh, please imagine ucla and usc trying their best against big ten wrestling programs
— Robby Kalland (@RKalland) June 30, 2022
